The Little Puppet
by Love's Labour's Won
Summary: He was the happiest little boy in the entire world. At least, that was what he thought... but Mommy and Daddy didn’t come home one day. This story is meant to illuminate the tragedy of Sasori's childhood loss. R&R.


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Pinocchio, or any of the characters and likenesses thereof. This is a fan-made work created purely for entertainment, and I am not in any way affiliated with the author or publishers. In other words: It's not mine! I'm just having fun with it!

A/N: This is my second Naruto story... and my third one-shot! I got the story from my understanding of the way psychology works and a a little idea that popped into my head when I was thinking about puppets. Review! It makes me feel good about myself!

* * *

He was the happiest little boy in the entire world. At least, that was what he thought. Every day, Daddy laughed and ruffled his hair, swung him up onto his shoulders and took him for a little ride. Every day, Mommy smiled at him, made him yummy food, cuddled him when he got hurt or scared or sad. Every day, Granny hugged him, gave him sweets even Mommy would never give him, told him what a sweet, sweet little boy he was. Every night, Mommy and Daddy tucked him in and told him their special bedtime story.

"Once upon a time," Daddy would begin, "there was a little piece of wood, a very special little piece of wood."

"It was special because—" Mommy would say.

"Because it had a soul!" the little boy would happily finish.

"And one day," Mommy would continue, smiling at her little son, "The little piece of wood was bought by a great woodcarver."

"And Geppetto made it into a beautiful puppet," Daddy would finish her sentence.

"Named Pinocchio?" the little boy would offer hopefully.

"Named Pinocchio," Daddy would happily confirm, "but the little puppet was very sad."

"Why?" the little boy would ask, even though he already knew the answer.

"Because he wasn't a real boy. He couldn't really eat, sleep, feel, or love. He couldn't even cry real tears when he thought about it," Mommy would answer sadly. The little boy was always sorry for the little puppet, trapped in a wooden body without a real life, without real hugs and kisses from his daddy Geppetto. _"Poor little Pinocchio"_, he would think.

"But it was okay, because the Blue Fairy turned him into a real boy at last!" he would quickly say and hug Mommy, hoping to cheer her up and reassuring himself at the same time.

"Yes, she did," Mommy would say, smiling at her sweet little son. "Good night darling," she would coo as she tucked him in for the night, kissing him on the top of the head. Daddy did the same and they would leave him to his sweet, happy, childish dreams. Even though the little boy knew that there was a lot more to the story, it didn't matter because Mommy and Daddy knew all the best parts.

* * *

Mommy and Daddy didn't come home one day. He wasn't sure where they were, but he went along with business as usual, because Mommy and Daddy NEVER left him alone for too long. He ate some cookies out of the pantry for dinner, played with a little bouncy ball in the living room, and tucked the comforter around himself.

"Once upon a time," he began, "there was a little piece of wood, a very special little piece of wood."

"Sweetie!" Granny's voice called. Something in her voice was very, very sad. He ran out to the front room to comfort her. Hugs always made people feel better, right?

"It's okay," he said, jumping into her arms and stroking her iron-grey hair with his chubby little fingertips. "Daddy will go fix it." She sniffed, trying to keep back tears. "It's okay, it's okay," he said, shushing her softly. "Don't cry, Granny. Mommy will make you some cookies and you'll feel all better." She started to cry very loudly. There he sat with her, trying to make her feel better in the face of something he didn't even know would affect him for the rest of his life.

* * *

"_But the little puppet was very sad, because he wasn't a real boy." _

Two years had passed since Mommy and Daddy had gone away. Here they were—two beautiful replicas. They looked just like them. He pulled on the chakra strings attached to them, and they moved around him, hugging him just like they used to. Now, if he closed his eyes, he could almost hear them…

"_I love you, sweetheart." _

His chakra began to run thin, and thinner. He didn't have the energy to keep the embrace going. They crashed to the ground, cracking into shattered pieces.

"_Good job, sweetie!" _

The little boy began to cry. He cried and cried as he hadn't done ever since Mommy and Daddy died. They were gone forever, no matter what he did, and he would be alone forever.

"_But it was okay, because the Blue Fairy turned him into a real boy at last!"_

No, it wasn't okay. It wasn't okay at all. If all you could feel was pain, why feel at all? What a stupid little puppet. Who wanted to be a real boy? He certainly didn't. Being real was for… was for… people who had happiness, and there was no happiness in the world for him.

* * *

That night, Sasori cut his arm off. Silly Granny. She never even noticed. After all, the puppet part he replaced it with was most life-like.

* * *

A/N: Please review... Seriously. I need to know how I did with the character.


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